Missing
by ds9jullian
Summary: What happens when the youngest and most innocent member of the team goes missing or is she hiding some deep secrets like the rest of them.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I do not own NCIS LA. I write for fun, not for profit.

Eric sat working away at his terminal in OPS, he was working on a new legend for Callen. He kept looking at the clock, Nell was never late and today she was already ten minutes late. Eric was growing uncomfortable, something was wrong but he knew it wasn't his place to say anything. Nell could be off on a field trip for Hetty for all he knew. Eric tried to focus on his work.

The doors to OPS quietly swished open allowing Callen entrance into the office of those far more technical than he. Eric was clearly engrossed in his work as Callen scanned the room.

"Where's Nell?" asked Callen.

"Not in yet." replied Eric. "Probably off doing something for Hetty."

"Miss. Jones, I need . . . " said Hetty enter the room.

"I guess not." added Eric quickly.

"Mr. Beale, where is Miss Jones?" asked Hetty.

"I don't know."

"Why don't you find her for us?"

Eric turned back to his terminal and began tapping away at his keyboard. He had called her earlier and it had gone straight to voice mail.

"I am running a trace on her phone."

Callen and Hetty knew something was wrong as it was taking far too long.

"The battery has been removed or it has been destroyed." Eric paused. "The last location I have for her is near Venice at 10:52 last night, she received a call from a burn phone it lasted 15 seconds. "

"Oh," said Hetty.

"Can you get anything on the burn phone?" asked Callen.

"I am working on it."

"Please go get the rest of the team , it seems we have a new case."


	2. Chapter 2

A few minutes later Callen, Sam, Kensi and Deeks were gathered around watching Eric pull up traffic camera footage trying to find any signs of the red headed intelligence analyst. They all felt very strange, they all knew very little about Nell outside of work. She wasn't considered a high risk target but her disappearance was still strange.

"Who was the last one to see her?" asked Callen.

"She and I packed up here and left about seven thirty last night, walked her to her car." said Eric still working.

"Kensi, you and Deeks try her apartment, Sam and I will see what Eric turns up here."

Kensi nodded and headed to the door, Deeks was only a few steps behind her.

"Found it." said Eric

"What?" asked Sam.

"Nell's car, it went in to a Venice parking garage at 8:36 last night. and hasn't left."

"It's a place to start." said Sam heading out.

"Eric we will find her." said Callen.

He could clearly see the deep concern on Eric's face. In so many ways Nell was Eric's partner. They worked closely with each other, and depended on each other to help them through the daily challenges of working at NCIS.

Kensi parked in front of Nell's apartment block; it was a nicely maintained high rise in a decent part of town. Nell had taste in apartments as well as fashion.

"How do you want to play this?" asked Deeks.

"Come on." said Kensi getting out of the car.

Deeks followed, as they made their way to the entrance Kensi removed a set of keys from her pocket. Deeks just kept up with her as they made it past the front door without any trouble.

"Hetty?" asked Deeks when the doors of the elevator slid shut.

Kensi only smiled, and that was all the answer he needed. Deeks stayed two steps behind her as they approached; Kensi knocked firmly waiting for a response. When there was none Kensi quietly slid the key into the lock, on hand on her gun. Deeks was already poised to enter; he prayed that this wouldn't be embarrassing. Kensi turned the knob and pushed the door open; they quickly and quietly entered the tiny apartment. It took a whole ten seconds for them clear the place; it appeared to have been a lovely place that had been violently turned over.

"They were looking for something." said Kensi from the kitchen. "But what?"

"I've got blood." called Deeks from the bedroom.

Kensi quickly joined Deeks to find blood spattering and some small pooling on the carpet. Kensi could quickly see that Nell had not gone willingly.

"There was a struggle, they found her here," pointing to the bed. "She put up a fight, doesn't appear to be anything lethal."

Kensi allowed her eyes to sweep the room.

"She was carried from the room because the blood spattering stops here."

"She didn't even have time to get her gun, the safety is still on." said Kensi checking the nightstand drawer.

"I've got money they drugged her." said Deeks holding up a syringe in a between to gloved fingers.

"Damn" said Kensi reaching for her phone.

Deeks carefully continued around the apartment while Kensi called in.

Sam and Callen found Nell's car on the fourth level of the parking structure. To the passer by it appeared as if nothing was out of place but to the trained eye of Sam and Callen there was something wrong. The car was at an angle, odd because Nell always parked the small Japanese compact in the dead middle of here spot at the Mission.

"She must have been in a hurry." said Sam.

"Or she wasn't the only driving," said Callen as he approached the driver's door.

Sam followed.

"Wouldn't you say that the seat is a bit out of place for Nell?"

Sam could easily see what Callen was talking about; the seat was all the way back on its tracks and the back was leaning back like someone tall had been driving. Callen pulled is phone from his pocket and dialed.

"Eric, I need to you to check any footage you have from the garage and we are going to need a tow truck to take the car back to impound."

Callen could hear Eric tapping away at his terminal.

"Working on it." replied Eric.

"Nell wasn't alone." added Callen.

"Kensi and Deeks found her apartment turned over, it appears she was kidnapped."

Eric had difficulty saying it because he wasn't ready to believe it.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I do not own NCIS LA. I write for fun, not for profit.

Everyone was gathered in the ops center, they were going over everything they had on Nell's disappearance. It was a professional job, there were no finger prints in the car or the apartment that weren't Nell's. They syringe had contained a powerful animal sedative. None of it was much good as it didn't provide an clues as to wear she had been taken or by whom.

"Eric, have you found anything on the surveillance?" asked Callen.

"Only this." said Eric cueing up some footage. "It was taken about ten minutes after Nell's car entered the garage."

They watched as a tall well built man dressed in street cloths carried a a large lumpy duffle bag down a flight of stairs. They all thought the same thing but no one wanted to say it. Nell was probably in that bag.

"Is there enough for facial recognition?" asked Sam.

Eric only shook his head, everyone could see that his normal cheerful demeanor was waining.

"I am trying to search footage from nearby cameras but I am not having any luck so far." added Eric.

"Keep looking Mr. Beale." said Hetty joining the group.

She placed an envelope on the table.

"This was left at the gate of Camp Pendleton about two hours ago."

They all stood looking at it, Callen reached for it. He opened the flap and let the contains drop to the table. It was a photo, a photo of Nell bound, gagged, and beaten in a small nondescript concrete room. The group stood silently unable to come up with a response. Deeks watched as Eric approached curious as to what had them all at a loss for words. They watched as Eric's eyes made contact with the photo, Eric just stared as he began to slide to the floor. Sam and Deeks grabbed him before he hit the floor and returned him to his chair while Callen returned the photo to the envelope.

"They are taunting us." said Sam.

"But why Nell?" asked Callen. "She isn't an agent, her clearance is fairly low and she is a stickler for security. So what could Nell have that someone would want?"

They turned to Eric, he was still in shock although he had returned to work at his terminal, he was digging up everything he could on Nell.

"She was hired straight out of school by Navy Intelligence, she was there for nearly four years before she came here." said Kensi reading over Eric's shoulder.

"What do we know about her work in intelligence?" asked Sam.

"Most of it is redacted." said Eric.

"I will make some phone calls." said Hetty. "Keep looking Mr. Callen. "

Deeks and Kensi returned to the parking structure to search for clues as to where Nell had been taken. They had been unable to follow her assailant on security footage, so they were back to old fashioned detective work. They were slowly making there way down the stair well where the footage had come from. Their normal banter was subdued, they were both focused on the task at hand, finding Nell. She wasn't a trained agent and the longer she was missing, her chances of survival grew slimmer.

"Kensi, what's wrong with this picture?" asked Deeks looking at a few steps.

Kensi looked down, out of no where a trail of blood drops began and lead down the stairs. They were the right shape and size to have fallen only a short distance. Kensi smiled as they followed the drop down three flights of stairs and out into the alley.

"My guess is they had another car waiting here, because the drops stop here." she said pointing to a spot of blood on the ground. "The bag was put down on the ground."

Deeks was already peering into a nearby dumpster, on the off chance he would find something. Kensi pulled her phone from her pocket to snap some photos before calling Eric to have him check the surveillance footage for any vehicles leaving the area. Mean while Deeks donned gloves and continued to examine the four dumpsters in the alley.

"Deeks, what are you doing?" ask Kensi putting her phone away, she was dumbfounded by him at times.

"Looking for this." he said pulling a black bag from a dumpster.

Kensi went to join her partner, as she approached she could see that blood stains.

"How can you be sure it was Nell?" asked Kensi.

Deeks carefully removed a lock of red hair from the zipper, and showed it to Kensi. She took in a deep breath, it was indeed the bag Nell had been carried in. They had to find her and soon, the blood on the bag suggested that no one had tended to her injuries.

Sam and Callen sat in the bull ben reviewing what little they had on Nell's past in the hope they could find something that would clue them in on who had taken her. So far they had nothing. Not one clue as to the why or where she had been taken.

"Guys, I've got something." said Eric approaching the bull pen.

"Kensi and Deeks had me look at the footage of the alley and I turned up this."

Eric tapped at his remote, a video beg a to play. A white van with tinted windows pulled out of the alley.

"It is registered to Sunshine Day Care in Pasadena, but they filed for bankruptcy three months ago." he paused. "I have kaleidoscope looking for the van now. "

"But for all we know they could have dumped it."

Called looked at Eric, he was loosing hope.

"We will find her, just keep working your magic," said Sam.

Eric headed off back to the security of Ops. Callan and Sam set to work trying to connect Sunshine Day Care to Nell Jones, it would be difficult if not impossible.

Kensi and Deeks were bantering about one of Kensi's humble brags while they all worked sifting though information that appeared to have no connection to Nell. IT was getting late, Nell had been missing for nearly twenty four hours. They had few clues, no ransom notes, just a photo. Callen and Sam sat watching Kensi and Deeks.

"Oh my." yelled Eric from ops.

Everyone in the bull pen dropped what they were doing and ran to see what Eric was yelling about. They found him in his chair watching a video on his computer, it was of Nell. She was still bound, lying in a pool of her own blood, being beaten with baseball bats. She was alive, but the audio gave them a terrifying picture. The two men were asking her questions in spanish and when she didn't answer they would hit her. Everyone looked to Kensi for a translation although most of them knew enough spanish to get by. Kensi's eyes grew wide.

"They want information on the location of Marcos DeSantiago." said Kensi.

"Marcos DeSantiago, a Columbian born here in the US working for the FBI and CIA to bring down Carlos Sangez. He disappeared five years ago, the intelligence community assumed him dead." said Hetty joining the team.

"But?" said Callen.

"Six months before Miss Jones joined NCIS she found DeSantiago living in Mexico under the name Elisio Vazquez."

"But what do they want from Nell?"

"DeSantiago was captured by American Forces three weeks ago. He is being held until charges can be drawn up, including treason." Hetty paused. "They are looking for this."

Hetty lay a photo of a small cargo vessel on the table.

"The Navy towed it to San Diego, what left of the crew is being held. They found 170 kilos of heroin."

"And they think Nell can lead them to Vazquez and the drugs?" said Deeks.

"That is my guess."

"So we have the why, but where is she is?" interrupted Eric loudly this time.

Everyone turned to look at Eric who was clutching the arms of his chair, Nell's chair sat empty next to him.

"Calm down Eric, I'm getting there." said Hetty. "There are teams from the FBI, CIA, and ATF gathering at the boat house to compile a list of possible locations and help to find Miss Jones."

Everyone headed out.

"Eric, just look at her, she is a fighter, we will bring her home." said Hetty placing her hand on Eric's shoulder attempting to comfort him.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I do now own NCIS LA, I write for fun, not for profit although I could do with the extra income.

I am not happy with this chapter but believe it holds to true to the NCIS way of writing stories.

The boat house was a bustle of activity, FBI, CIA, ATF and LAPD were all there. There had twenty different addressed to look at, the goal was to narrow the list down and raid them all at the same time. The goal was for dawn, and they were already well past midnight. A computer in the corner streamed the video of Nell. Eric had spent hours tracing the feed but hit a dead end. Nell was no longer being beaten, but she did not look to be in good shape. Sam wanted the video there as a reminder as to why they were there.

XXXXX

Callen and Sam along with the assault team were gathered outside an abandoned warehouse, Kensi and Deeks were at a store front in Venice, the other four sites we taken by the other agencies. They quietly entered the warehouse; the majority of the space was open. The team made a slow silent approach to a corner of the warehouse that showed signs of life. There were voices speaking Spanish but they were talking about the soccer game they were watching on the TV. The team continued to move forward.

XXXXX

Deeks, Kensi, and the assault team took the store front quickly. One group from the front, the other from the back. There were no bullets fired because it was abandoned. There was nothing to be found.

"Damn." said Deeks.

Kensi was just as upset, they needed something, anything. She was on the phone with Hetty, the assault team quickly cleared out.

"Sam and Callen have something, Hetty wants us to get Eric and take him down to the warehouse." said Kensi putting her phone away.

Deeks nodded and followed Kensi back to the car.

Eric was waiting on the curb outside the mission, he was a mess, and the car ride was silent except for the occasional grunt as Kensi drove not giving an ounce of care to the rules of the road.

XXXXX

The team members kept in touch with ops over the coms, quickly learning that Deeks and Kensi turned up nothing along with the CIA and FBI. The ATF turned up a nice stash, and LAPD came in on an illegal call girl service.

Sam was surveying the area they were about to take down when Callen spotted it, a small concrete room with a trail of blood leading up to it. Callen silently got Sam's attention, and pointed it out. Sam smiled, they agreed, that was probably were they were keeping Nell.

Sam got himself into position to rescue Nell while the rest of the team focused on the four guys watching television. On the count of three everyone moved.

XXXXX

Hetty stood in ops watching the video feed of Nell. She was unconscious as she had been for several hours, she had stopped bleeding but that was a mixed signal. It hurt Hetty to see Nell in such a situation. Hetty heard the count over the coms and seconds later Sam entered the room. He quickly checked for a pulse before unbinding her. She was alive, Sam cradled her in his arms and left as the sound of bullets permeated the area.

XXXXX

The sun was sneaking over the horizon as Sam carried Nell out of the warehouse. Here limp unconscious form lay in his arms as a speeding car pulled up. Eric was out of the car and running towards him. The paramedics were on their way, sirens could be heard approaching. Sam gently laid Nell on the ground; he had to return to the fire fight that continued to rage in the warehouse.

"She's alive, but in bad shape." said Sam to Eric as he placed Eric's hand over the bleeding leg wound.

"Stay with her." he said to Kensi and Deeks, who were surveying their surroundings, guns drawn.

Sam went back in to rejoin Callen. Kensi could easily see what Sam meant, her left leg was broken, and the beating had probably elf her with countless others. Kensi leaned down to check her pulse, it was weak but regular. Eric stayed with her until the paramedics arrived, feeling helpless he stepped back to let them treat Nell. Sam and Callen informed them over the coms that the place was secure while Eric, Deeks and Kensi watched Nell be loaded into the ambulance. Deeks looked to Kensi, she nodded.

"Eric, go with her. We will follow in the car." said Deeks.

Eric looked shocked.

"She's your partner."

XXXXX

Kensi and Deeks sat with Eric in the waiting room of Pacific Beach Medical, a room that Kensi was far too familiar with. None of them looked good, they had been going none stop for over twenty four hours. Nell had been admitted nearly two hours ago but they had yet to receive any word on her condition. Sam and Callen had called into report that all the suspects were dead, the FBI was cleaning up the mess and they promised to stop by after doing the paperwork. Sam promised coffee and donuts. Eric was growing restless, he didn't do hurry up and wait. They all stood when the doctor entered the waiting room.

"How is she?" asked Kensi, it was the same doctor what had treated Deeks.

"Miss Jones is resting comfortably, she is very lucky to be alive but she is in really bad shape." she paused. "She lost a lot of blood, and infection has already set. She has a long road ahead of her."

"Can we see her?" asked Eric nervously.

The doctor nodded.

They followed the doctor down the hall to the ICU.

"We are going to keep her here for the next couple of days for observation." said the doctor.

Eric just stood looking at her, he was in shock. She looked fragile and in great pain.

"You can go see her, she's just asleep." she paused. "I'm sure she'll want to see you, she was asking for you when she was in x-ray."

Eric tried to smile; Deeks gave him a quick nudge. Eric slowly approached the side of the bed, taking it all in. He reached out and brushed a loose piece of hair from her face, Nell was covered with bruises, her left leg was in a cast, and both her hands were splinted. Eric gently laid his hand over hers, as he sat down in the lone chair. Kensi and Deeks stood at the foot of the bed.


	5. Chapter 5

The following morning the team was gathered at the mission, they had all needed a good night's sleep after the events of yesterday.

"Anyone seen Eric?" asked Sam.

"He's with Nell." Said Kensi. "I stopped by the hospital on my way in, she had a bit of a rough night. One of the orderlies scared her, so Eric stayed with her."

"How is she doing?" asked Callen.

"They hope to move her to a private room later today."

Kensi settled into her desk.

"The FBI confirmed that they were looking DeSantiago and the drugs but here's the real kicker." Said Sam. "They got Nell's name from Grason Millhouse, an undercover CIA operative who was compromised. He remembered her name from a file he read, he says that he didn't know she had come to LA. He figured she had switched jobs like so many analysts and that they wouldn't be able to track her down."

"He was wrong." Said Kensi.

"Very much so." Said Callen

"Mr. Millhouse is going to be charged with treason." Said Hetty. "Now we must move on to our next case."

Everyone knew the drill and headed to Ops, although it wouldn't be the same without Eric and Nell there.

Eric sat holding Nell's hand, she had been restless all night. She was in pain, sever pain but the painkillers only made her ill. He was exhausted but he wasn't about to leave her side. For the last ten hours he had seen a side of Nell that made his soul ache. She was fighting nightmares that he couldn't imagine.


End file.
